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You would expect the best at a five-star hotel, especially when it comes to the freshness and quality of the food that is served there. You may also expect the staff to be trained to an exceptionally high standard.
This didn’t appear to be the case at a five-star hotel in Hampshire, however, when in Christmas 2010, a chicken liver parfait was served that would go on to cause an outbreak of food poisoning.
Guests who had attended a Christmas party at the Grade II listed building began to complain of feeling ill, and the parfait was established as the probable cause. Hampshire’s Environmental Health Department began an investigation following a number of complaints, and soon found that there had been other breaches of food safety regulations.
They found that unsafe food had been available for sale, that cheese was still being sold after its use-by date, and failure to implement and maintain cooking procedures. The hotel admitted its failings and was prosecuted and fined.
Despite having exacting standards at the hotel, it was also found that staff had not been given the correct food safety training that would enable them to respect and comply with the set standards.